Students, Bluetooth Light the Way for Blind Pedestrians

Imagine yourself walking through the streets of a strange city.  You have places to go but, as with every journey, the destination is merely the end result.  You pass many points of interest along the way, but they are easy to miss, without some form of communication describing to you the virtues of the unique and individual points that might otherwise be overlooked. Read more

Fan In Baby’s Room Reduces Risk of SIDS

One of the most heartbreaking and frustrating diagnoses discussed today is that of SIDS, or sudden infant death syndrome. Although the term has been used for years, it is considered a diagnosis of exclusion, the explanation behind the death of a child when there is no other apparent cause of death. Read more

Top Economist Says McCain’s Health Plan Better for More Americans

In a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) opinion piece, one of the nation’s top economists says more Americans would benefit from the health plan presented by presidential hopeful, John McCain, than that of his opponent, Barack Obama. Robert Carroll, once a deputy assistant secretary for tax analysis at the US Treasury, bases his opinion on the refundable tax credit, proposed by McCain, compared to the current system, which provides a tax exclusion to help offset the cost of employer-based healthcare insurance coverage. Read more

FDA Wrong About BPA Safety, Says Advisory Panel

The committee of experts advising the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) commissioner released a report that says the FDA is wrong about the safety of bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical compound used throughout the bottle-manufacturing industry.  Plastic baby bottles and the bottles water is sold in frequently contain BPA, which can leach out of the plastic and into the food or beverage held in the container.  Most canned food items are lined with a BPA film to prevent chemical interactions between the metal can and the food it contains. Read more

Tobacco-Savvy Doctors Dramatically Improve Smokers’ Chances of Quitting

Presidential campaigns aside, the campaign against smoking has a sure winner.  Every smoker with a desire to quit, said to be 70% of all American smokers, is a winner but most will require medical intervention to see success at the finish line.  Recently released data on smoking in America says smokers who team up with their healthcare providers are 30% more likely to stay the course and actually kick the tobacco habit than smokers trying to quit on their own.  Unfortunately, the study also says our nation’s healthcare professionals are not as well-versed as expected on the cessation of smoking or on the dependence of other tobacco-based products. Read more

Heart Failure Linked to Rheumatoid Arthritis

Almost 1.3 million Americans have rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a painful chronic condition that stiffens two or more joints.  Heart failure often accompanies RA although, until recently, no direct link between the two has been established.  Having discovered the link, the researchers suggest earlier detection of heart failure in RA patients may significantly reduce the number of lives lost to heart failure.  Women get RA more than twice as often as men. Read more

Wear Mask, Wash Hands Often to Minimize Flu Risk

Researchers at the University of Michigan’s (UM’s) School of Public Health just released the first-year findings of a study of successful non-pharmaceutical methods that might reduce the risk of developing influenza, or the flu.  It seems wearing a face mask around others and frequent hand-washing throughout the day can reduce the risk of getting the flu by as much as 50%, a finding that offers particular promise to public health officials worldwide who are avidly seeking every means possible to side step the flu virus before a pandemic occurs. Read more

Mesothelioma Treatment Research in Chemotherapy and Active Symptom Control

A 2008 study published in Lancet, a 185-year-old prestigious British medical journal, analyzed the impact of chemotherapy on active symptom control treatment in malignant pleural mesothelioma patients. The authors of the scientific study explained the motivation for the analysis lies in the fact that active symptom control is commonly recommended for managing the rare cancer, but medical researchers and professionals have yet to come to a consensus on the role of chemotherapy in mesothelioma treatment. Read more

The Right B Cells at the Right Time Fight Nerve Disease (press release)

DURHAM, N.C. — Duke University Medical Center scientists have figured out which type of B cells act — and at what time — to keep a multiple-sclerosis (MS)-like disease under control, knowledge that will help to create better therapies. Read more

Raptiva Gets Stronger Warning for Psoriasis Treatment

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced labeling changes that affect the popular psoriasis drug, efalizumab, marketed under the brand name, Raptiva. The updated label warning is the result of the increased risk of developing life-threatening infections when using this medication. Read more

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